~ Further Adventures in Parenting and Eating

Monthly Archives: May 2011

Inspired by the folks on Friday’s at ShabbyNest I created a planter that requires no care, can be moved often and is the one thing in my yard this summer that won’t be an eyesore. I normally put some nice flowers and baby them along but this year it just isn’t going to happen.

All I’ve done is taken a planter that I already had, add a pink vase (that I also had) and surrounded the base with dirt and then a layer of spanish moss. Fill with decorative balls from the write-off bin at Walmart (the package wasn’t full and I got a huge discount) and Voila!

Also inspired by all that I’ve seen at ShabbyNest is my version of a moss covered, door initial. This door will only exist for a couple of more weeks so I thought it deserved a bit of final bling before we say goodbye.

I’ve had fun painting this door a couple of different colours (fire engine red and now my obnoxious yellow) but we’re going with a rather staid black for our new one.

﻿A few years ago, on a lovely Saturday morning, I was indulging in my biggest addiction (The Food Network) and Tyler Florence came on. It really does not hurt that he is pretty easy on the eyes but MAN, he can also cook. I made it right away and we rounded some friends up for dinner that very night.

When I asked my father-in-law what he would like to have for his birthday dinner he mentioned fried chicken and I was happy to oblige.

I’ve played with the recipe since but it wouldn’t be right to fail to mention where it was originally from. Do yourself a favour and make an obscene amount of this chicken and either have 20 people over (like we did on Saturday) or freeze it and have it on those hot summer days when moving around is like treading water.

I was a little worried about eating this recipe again because I made it one day when I was pregnant and had to instantly get it OUT OF THE HOUSE. Those of you who have experienced morning/all day sickness will understand the urgency of getting some smells away from you as quickly as possible.

I’m happy to say that not only did I like it again but so did the baby.

1) One night take; three chickens and divide them up (you can use already jointed chicken pieces but whole chickens were on sale so that is what I used) into 10 pieces each (thighs, legs, wings, breasts in two pieces etc.). Place in a large pot with enough water to cover them and four tablespoons of salt. I actually just took the whole chickens from the freezer and immersed them in water and salt. Let sit overnight, covered, in the fridge.

2) The next day drain off the brine and place enough buttermilk to cover the chicken (note: I never have buttermilk so just sour regular milk with a T. of vinegar). I used (for my three chickens) 1 litre of soymilk (soured with a tablespoon of vinegar), 2 T. of hot sauce, 1 T. of juniper berries, 2 garlic cloves finely chopped and 2 stalks of rosemary. Let sit in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight. I did this overnight because it was a Friday and honestly, deep frying when you are tired is not something I would highly recommend.

I’ve added the note that I used soy milk as I realize I haven’t mentioned for quite some time that dairy and I don’t get along very well. I have Chron’s/colitis so I use soy, rice or goat’s milk products in all of my recipes and Earth balance margarine for anything needing butter. No one seems to complain.

4) Get a cauldron of oil (I like to use canola) heating with a sprig of rosemary and a clove of garlic. It is hot enough to fry the chicken when you place a wooden spoon in the oil and it bubbles around it.

5) Grab a piece of the chicken and dip into the seasoned flour, dip it back into the buttermilk and then BACK into the flour. This double dipping method gives you an incredible coating.

6) Fry until just golden and drain on a tea towel. Don’t worry about the chicken actually being cooked.

7) Place on a baking tray and bake in a moderate oven (330) until crispy and the chicken is cooked through.

Great hot or cold and even great the day after.﻿ My photo isn’t great as “my helper” wanted to press the button.

I thought we would have lots of leftovers but gladly there were only a few pieces. We served everything with; spring vegetables in a vinaigrette, a big green salad, rolls and potato salad ( my sister-in-law makes the very best potato salad).

The night started the evening off with marinated cheese bites and tortilla chips with salsa and quacamole (thanks MIM!) and ended with mini chocolate cupcakes (that same great Olive Oil recipe) topped with whipping cream and cherries cooked with a bit of sugar, cornstarch and kirsch.

More than the food though…everyone got together and we laughed until we hurt. That’s what a birthday is all about.

Here’s my next pantry challenge…a little bit different but lots of fun.

I love canning things-all sorts of different jams, chutneys and pickles. There is something very comforting about having all of the jars of goodies lined-up waiting for an ugly day-like ducks in a row.

I am guessing this stems from going into the farm’s cellar on a “job” for my Gran. Realistically she likely just wanted to 30 seconds in the kitchen without me underfoot but I felt like I was helping. Only jars of glowing goodies would have tempted me into venturing into that dark limestone cave that a very subborn Gibson had at one time carved out of the rock.

Canning season is almost here but I just can’t help myself after reading “Cook the Story”‘s description of chicken with preserved lemons and butter tucked under the skin and baked.

I MUST HAVE THIS SOON.

Not to mention the cocktail that another blogger alluded to using preserved lemons. Fabulous!

Preserved lemons are an odd combination of salty, brightness with an unimaginable bit of sweet to them. You find them a lot in morroccan dishes but they are really versatile and quite beautiful in the jars.

Ingredients8-10 Meyer lemons*, scrubbed very clean1/2 cup kosher salt, more if neededExtra fresh squeezed lemon juice, if neededSterilized quart canning jar* You don’t need to use Meyer lemons, regular lemons will do, it’s just that the milder Meyer lemons work very well for preserving in this way.

Method1 Place 2 Tbsp of salt in the bottom of a sterilized jar. 2 One by one, prepare the lemons in the following way. Cut off any protruding stems from the lemons, and cut 1/4 inch off the tip of each lemon. Cut the lemons as if you were going to cut them in half lengthwize, starting from the tip, but do not cut all the way. Keep the lemon attached at the base. Make another cut in a similar manner, so now the lemon is quartered, but again, attached at the base.

3 Pry the lemons open and generously sprinkle salt all over the insides and outsides of the lemons. 4 Pack the lemons in the jar, squishing them down so that juice is extracted and the lemon juice rises to the top of the jar. Fill up the jar with lemons, make sure the top is covered with lemon juice. Add more fresh squeezed lemon juice if necessary. Top with a couple tablespoons of salt.5 Seal the jar and let sit at room temperature for a couple days. Turn the jar upside down ocassionally. Put in refrigerator and let sit, again turning upside down ocassionally, for at least 3 weeks, until lemon rinds soften.

6 To use, remove a lemon from the jar and rinse thoroughly in water to remove salt. Discard seeds before using. Discard the pulp before using, if desired.7 Store in refrigerator for up to 6 months.

It’s not German Potato salad but they certainly do get along very well.

We were at my mom’s this weekend and visited one of my favourite butchers. Halenda’s is a great Eastern European meat shop with lots of; homemade sausages, fresh cured bacon, smoked pork chops (possibly the best invention EVER) and really good weiner schnitzel.

When my husband and father-in-law went out “on errands” I knew where they were headed and already had in mind the perfect accompaniment.

Oshawa often doesn’t have a lot to offer but good Polish and German food can be found in abundance.

Add to 2 lbs. of new potatoes that are cooked until soft but not mushy. Eat while still warm with weiner snitzel with lots of fresh chunks of lemon. If you feel guilty about the fat and carbs make a green salad that will just go to waste.